Speak Now
by ArtemisBlossom
Summary: AU Wally is getting married, except it's not to Artemis…can she make him realize that he's making a mistake, or is she too late


Today was the day.

Today would be the day that he turned his life around, settled down, and start a family with the person he loved dearly; however, he was still in love with another.

Sighing, he straightened his tie, irritated that he couldn't get it to look right, before sitting down harshly on the floor with his hands tangled into his hair and pulled. He didn't know what he was doing. Was this even the right thing? His brain was hurting but he couldn't let himself disappoint her…of course he didn't know which of the 'her' he was referring to but that didn't make the pain any less.

He wished he had never moved away. If he had never moved away he wouldn't be in this position. He would be happily married to his soul mate, his love, his life...his Artemis. He wanted to scream. He wanted to yell, but most of all he wanted to cry. He wanted to cry for the loss of his future, cry for the pain Artemis felt, cry for the fact that Linda will never truly be loved by him, and he wanted to for his own heart that will be shattered by the end of the day.

He was such a fool.

Why did he do this to himself? Why did he even ask her if he never even loved her as much as he ever loved Artemis? She was an innocent, a victim, and he was the perpetrator. Straightening up, he vowed that he would not see Linda any harm for she had no part in his twisted mind and lost love.

Maybe this was the fates way of getting him back for all the wrong he had done in his past. Maybe this was the consequence for breaking so many girls' hearts and innocence, including Artemis. He sighed and stood up wiping the lone tear that had threatened to come out away. He had to get himself together.

"Hey bro it's nice to see you again."

Eyes widening at the voice he hadn't heard in over three years, he looked up to find his best friend Dick Grayson standing in the doorway; his face just has this amused expression at his reaction, like he had seen a ghost or something less than a second ago. He wore an ash grey tux with light blue silk like vest that had two big silver buttons. His short black hair was sticking up in every which way and his pale blue eyes were speaking volumes of unshed laughter.

"Yeah good to see you to shorty."

The young billionaires' mouth curved up into a smirk, "Less I recall, I'm the taller one in the room by say a couple of inches."

Wally rolled his eyes and walked towards the mirror to finish fixing his tie. His ass of a best friend can piss off. He didn't even know why he was here.

"What the hell are you doing here anyways?"

Dick walked into the room a bit more and stood looking at the ceiling, "Believe me bro I have more important thing to attend to than your marriage to some girl you barely even know."

"I know her well enough!" Wally walked over to his best friend –if he could even call him that- and scowled. "You didn't even answer my question, _what are you doing here Dick?_"

Dick merely glanced at him, "God you're such an idiot Wally. Do not think that maybe seeing my best friend getting hitched might just be a little important to me. Plus Zatanna really wanted to see everyone again. However it has come to my attention that the you're marrying is not the girl I thought I would see"

"What are you talking about?"

Dick let the corner of his lip curl upward as he gazed at his friend, "Why are you marrying that girl instead of Artemis?"

Wally's eyes narrowed, "Why do you-"

"I have no time for your poor excuses and lies that you tell yourself. Now answer me, _why are you marrying Linda instead of Artemis_?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you!"

"Hn. I understand that you don't have a clue. But you listen and you listen well; the life of a married man is meant to be lived to fullest and it is well known that your actions make your decisions. You will do well to remember that."

Wally frowned deeply and rolled his eyes, "This coming from the guy that has only ever dated one girl and gets jealous of every guy that tries to make a pass on her."

Dick shook his head, though the action was barely noticed, "If I got jealous of every guys that tried to make a pass on Zee she would have kicked me out of our apartment by now?"

Wally whipped around trying to catch his friend in the verbal moment that was sure to be a slip of the tongue to find himself alone. He whipped around again and cursed silently. It was the first time he had ever given him good advice or even an acknowledgement that something he was doing was wrong. Hell, it was first time Dick even used his name!

What the hell was he doing?

* * *

_I am not the kind of girl_

_Who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion_

_But you are not the type of boy_

_Who should be marrying the wrong girl_

* * *

God, he hoped this worked.

He had literally been through hell and back for the past three days and with all the tension that was building up he couldn't help but think that this will blow up in his face. He was sweating like a sinner in church and his thoughts for the worse had taken a new turn.

'Okay' He thought, 'This will work out for the best. Everything that might happen will happen for a reason' he nodded; happy with his reasoning and strolled over to his fiancé with a grin.

"Dick? Do you think she'll do it?"

Dick smiled and placed his arms tightly around his beautiful fiancé, "I'm sure she will Zatanna" He looked at her, the silver dress, though not a nice looking color, hugged his fiancé in all the right places. His hand twitched in anticipation; however before he could make a move to the sacred place, he whipped out his phone to inform Artemis that she had only 20 minutes before the wedding started.

He felt anticipation beat him down as he waited for his sister to pick up. He let out a long sigh of relief when her small, "Hello?" reached his ears. He informed her of the time and nodded his head towards Zatanna when she confirmed that she was on her way. Shaking his head he grasped the hand of his fiancé and tugged her towards him,

"You know if Wally doesn't see that Artemis is the one for him after this, he's going to regret his decision forever"

Zatanna nodded, "Of course. However Artemis is strong. When the realization of Wally's rejection gets through to her she will set off to find love in the right place"

"Hopefully it won't come to that"

"You're right those two were made for each other"

Dick nodded as the bells chimed signaling that the guest have all gotten into their seats and the Preacher had made it to the altar. "Well it's now or never" He whispered, kissing his fiancé eagerly before he let her go to find her own seat. He pulled on the blue tie, irritably as he got in position for the walk.

God, help him.

* * *

_I sneak in and see your friends_

_And her snotty little family all dressed in pastel_

_And she is yelling at a bridesmaid_

_Somewhere back inside a room wearing a gown shaped like a pastry_

* * *

~15 minutes later~

She couldn't do this.

She really couldn't do this.

Her palms were sweaty and her feet felt heavy; as if she had been carrying a chain and a ball around all day as she walked towards the entrance of the banquet hall. She closed her eyes and handing the greeter her 'personal' invite, before scanning the area closely.

There were three doors to her left and four to her right. Of the doors on the left of her, two of them were bathrooms; separated by the men and woman's sign and one of them seemed to be a living area. Of the doors to her right one seemed to be where the groom would go to freshen up, another looked like an entrance to where the reception would be held, the other looked to be the entrance to the wedding itself while the last one was where the bride would be freshening up before she took a walk down the aisle.

She gulped, watching as Linda came into view, just barely in her white gown, yelling at one of the bridesmaids that, from the looks of it, had torn her dress slightly. She winced as the screeching got louder and moved to thank the woman and head towards the living area.

It was a moderate style living room that, most banquet halls, had in common. Except the color had been changed to match the theme of the wedding, for what reason she hadn't an iota of a clue. The theme was horrendous and she laughed her ass off when Zatanna was forced to don a silver halter in order to 'blend' in.

Smiling, she sat down on an electric blue love seat, draped with a silver sheer, which folded as she sat. She giggled when the seat suck in a bit at the weight but adjusted so that she was secure on top of the chair. She sighed loudly. She wondered if this was how Wally pictured his wedding to be.

_This is surely not what you thought it would be_

_I lose myself in a daydream_

_Where I stand and say,_

Closing her eyes, she imagined what it would be like when that moment came. She tried to picture everyone's face, her face, his face; the reaction, the uproar, everything. However she could not concoct an aftermath for she herself was unsure of what it would be. She moaned silently. She didn't even know what she was going to say to him.

"_Don't say yes run away now!_

_I'll meet when you when you're out of the church at the back door_

_Don't wait or say a single vow_

_You need to hear me out and they said,_

"_Speak now"_

Taylor Swift's song flowed urgently through her mind and she knew that the Country Star had been the one to encourage her to do this; along with Megan, Zatanna, and Dick. Still she liked to imagine that Taylor's song gave her the extra kick she needed to do this. She stood up and watched as Linda stepped out of the room and strutted towards the entrance of the wedding a smirk imbedded on her face. She had to admit that she did indeed look good in the dress, however she knew what lay underneath all of the false pretense that she served to be. She was a cold hearted, vindictive, and manipulative woman and god, revenge had never tasted sweeter.

Moving over behind the curtains she waited and watched as Wally's eyes held onto Linda's form, with compassion, but not love. It seemed that they were also lined with guilt that she didn't quite understand in the least. Maybe, just maybe, he wished it was her.

_Fond gestures are exchanged_

_And the organ starts to play a song _

_That's sounds like a death march_

_And I am hiding in the curtains_

_It seems that I was uninvited by your lovely bride-to-be_

She watched with hatred and a twinge of jealously as Linda floated down the aisle widely at everyone and then settling back towards Wally. His eyes flashed for a moment, before a solemn smiled formed on his features. Artemis cringed at the forced smile, but held her breath as Linda finally took her place next to Wally.

_She floats down the aisle like a pageant queen_

_But I know you wish it was me_

_You wish it was me don't you?_

The crowds hushed whispers were dying down now and the preacher cleared his throat obviously ready to start the ceremony. She watched on with nervous lines as he smiled at the two and rose his hands above him.

"Wallace West and Linda Park, today you celebrate one of life's greatest moments and give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, as you join together in vows of marriage.

Just as two very different threads woven in opposite directions can form a beautiful tapestry, so can your two lives merge together to form a very beautiful marriage. To make your marriage work will take love. Love should be the core of your marriage; love is the reason you are here. But it also will take trust - to know in your hearts that you want the best for each other.

It will take dedication - to stay open to one another, to learn and to grow together even when this is not always easy to do. It will take faith - to always be willing to go forward to tomorrow, never really knowing what tomorrow will bring. And it will take commitment - to hold true to the journey you both now pledge to share together.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honorable estate, instituted by God and therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and in the love of God. Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined"

Artemis bit her lip as the nervous part of her started to take over. A part of her wanted to run as fast as she could away from them, away from Wally, Linda, everything. However another part of her told her that this was right. This was something that needed to be done. She watched on with a heavy heart as the preacher continued his speech and Wally and Linda both shared vows of love and partnership. A throbbing in her chest told her that it was almost time. Stepping out of the curtains she prepared herself.

"If there is anyone who believes that there is a reason these two should not be wed, "Speak Now or Forever hold your peace"

_I hear the preacher say, "Speak now or Forever hold your peace"_

_There's the silence, there's my last chance_

_I stand up with shaky hands _

_All eyes on me_

She stepped out into the aisle, her body trembling and her eyes trained on one person and one person only.

'_It's Now or Never'_

* * *

Sometimes things don't always go as planned.

As soon as she stepped into the dress, her face had gained an illuminating glow that any force of nature would kill to take down and keep as its' own. Her smile was bright and actually happy and cocky at the same time. Why wouldn't she be happy? It was her wedding day! The day where she would become the wife of the infamous Wallace West; the day she would finally beat Artemis.

Ah, yes, she would finally have something that Artemis did not: The love of her life. Of course, she didn't really love Wally and she doubted that she ever would honestly. Although it wasn't like her, she felt a sudden pain in her hear for betraying him for her own selfish gain and vowed silently that while they were married she would try not to be a total bitch. However, it was always a kick to the stomach to see that he did not hold love for her like he proclaimed to, but who was still deeply in love with his ex. Honestly she felt for him; a little.

She would worry about 'cheeMegang' him up later on though; maybe on their honeymoon. She smiled as she pictured the cold water and raging tides raging against the shore and her feet tingling with the combination of water and sand. She smiled solemnly.

"Linda?"

Turning around, she was mildly surprised to see Cameron Mahkent, her ex-boyfriend and former love of her life. She gasped silently and took a step back, rubbing her eyes as if he were a dream. She stared at him for a while before a broken whisper escaped her lips and she uttered the name she hadn't said in 5 years.

"Cameron?"

He smiled gently at her, the love he held for her as clear as the blue sky, and walked towards her.; his eyes gleaming in the light of the Bride's room. Her breath came to a stop as he took her hand and kissed it. Was it possible that she still loved him?

"It's been a while Linda. I would ask how you were, but considering the circumstances I would have to concur that you're doing pretty damn good."

Linda nodded not sure what to say at that moment. This just didn't seem real. He shouldn't be here. He wasn't supposed to be here!

Cameron, a little hurt by her silence, scratched the back of his head and shifted a little on his foot, "Listen, I know this is a bad time and I know I'm just a little too late but I wanted to tell you that I love you. Always have and I always will." He chuckled without humor, "I never imagined I would come back to see you about to get married however."

Linda stared at him still not sure what to say. Finally she smiled, and gave him a hug. Words couldn't express what she felt at that moment and she couldn't- wouldn't- be able to identify them later. She was getting married. It was time to let go of the past.

She sighed brokenly as she remembered what had occurred only an hour before she was standing at the altar. Her thoughts had been resounding; flicking back to Cameron when she was supposed to be thinking about Wally. She was so distracted that she missed the collective gasp and horrified looks of her guest as a certain female came barging in. It took a whisper of, "Artemis" by Wally for her to notice that Artemis stood in the middle of the aisle, right arm stretched out, looking absolutely determined, that she came to her senses.

She wore a emerald green halter dress that flared out and had a black belt wrapped around her tiny waist. Her hair was down and wavy reaching just the bottom of her back and curled elegantly at the tips. She looked on with envy at the beautiful girl before her and briefly wondered,

What was she doing?

* * *

_Horrified looks from everyone in the room_

_But I'm only looking at you_

* * *

She heard the collective gasp and out of her peripheral she saw the shocked and horrified faces of family members and friends. She knew that all eyes were on her. She gulped at the aching sting in her stomach that came from her nervousness and swallowed the lump in her throat as the preacher looked over at her expectedly.

She shifted her gaze looking at Wally who stared at her with anticipation, shock, approval, and something she hadn't seen in a long while: Love. Her heart swelled with acceptance and she felt that she could breathe a little easier than before.

Finding that everyone was expecting her to speak she opened her mouth and let her heart speak,

_I am not the kind of girl_

_Who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion_

_But you are not the type of boy_

_Who should be marrying the wrong girl_

"I object to this union on the grounds that I love Wally very much and I know that he loves me as well"

Another round of collective gasp and rushed whispers engulfed the room; she ignored them and locked eyes with Wally. His eyes held no rejection at his claim rather a small amount of hope as he gazed at her. She took a deep breath.

"Me and Wally had been together for five long albeit rough years and I know that for a fact that he would never abandon me willingly." She turned her attention towards Linda, "I'm sorry for ruining your wedding but I cannot stand by and watch you take something that is rightfully mine! I know that you were the reason we lost contact after all those years and that you did it purposely as well. Honestly Linda I don't know what your problem is with me but it has to stop!"

Linda stood mouth agape as her most hated rival exposed her secret for all to hear. She looked towards Wally as he looked upon her with the upmost betrayal and it hurt.

Artemis watched as Wally backed away from Linda with hurt in his eyes and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Even if he didn't love her, she knew that he cared for her a great deal. She sighed sadly,

"I honestly don't know what you hope to gain from this but I can't sit by and let you do this. Linda I love him very much and I can't- I won't- live without him again. He means everything to me."

_Don't say yes run away now_

_I'll meet you when I'm out of the church at the back door _

_Don't wait or say a single vow_

_Your time is running out and they said, "Speak Now"_

* * *

Wally tore his eyes away from Linda and stared at the gorgeous girl before him that had proclaimed her love for him. His eyes widened and a smile broke out on his face when she announced in front of everyone that he meant everything to her. God, he felt like- hell he didn't know but this was a type of high he didn't want to come down from. She loved him.

Stepping away from the altar slowly, he ignored Linda's calls to him and walked steadily towards Artemis. He stopped a few centimeters in front of her and smirked half-heartedly. He heard her heart beat increase and the love and adoration in her eyes and couldn't help himself. He leaned down and did something he had waited to do for three long years.

He kissed her.

He kissed her with everything he was worth and he enjoyed it. He couldn't bear to be without her anymore and he would make sure that she never left his side again.

Pulling back he gazed at her then and laughed slightly as she reached up to tug at his ears gently, "I love you."

Artemis smiled brightly and brought his head down for another searing kiss while her friends and others began to clap vigorously. However; she could care less. All that mattered at that moment was Wally and she wouldn't be letting him go anytime soon.

_And you say, "Let's run away now_

_I'll meet you when I'm out of my tux at the back door_

_Baby I didn't say my vows so glad you were around_

_When they said, "Speak Now""_

* * *

Suddenly she was yanked away from Wally by a furious Linda and she glared at her for the interruption, "What is your problem?"

Linda huffed and sneered at her, "You what to know what my problem is? It's you, Artemis. You have been my problem. You are so perfect, so fucking beautiful, and you have everything. You get everything you want while I have to work for everything. I hate people like you and yet I can't help but want to be you."

Artemis stared at Linda, "I am anything but perfect Linda and believe me I do not get everything I want. I just know to cherish and accept what I have." She actually felt bad for Linda. Who knew that she held resentment for her because she was jealous of her; she had always looked down on her as a queen would a peasant.

Linda snorted; "Right" She pushed passed them then followed by some of the bridesmaids and walked out of the wedding hall. Artemis sighed sadly and looked back at Wally. He grabbed her and hugged her closely, already knowing the cause of her sadness.

"I still can't get past how selfless you are"

Artemis smiled softly and looked at him, "I'm sorry for crashing your wedding"

He waved her off, "I was kinda relieved you did."

"Really?"

Wally smirked, and kissed her cheek, "You mean everything to me to Artemis"

Artemis smiled brightly and launched herself onto him, not noticing when her friends had all came up to congratulate her.

Zatanna was the first to break up the pair by embracing Artemis in a fierce hug, "I knew you could do it Artemis! You looked hot doing it as well!"

Artemis blushed as she laughed lightly at her friend, "Thanks Zee."

"Artemis!"

She turned around and smiled widely at her childhood friend, Megan, who had coincidentally married one of Wally's friends, Conner. She didn't think that they would be here. She engulfed the tiny girl in a hug and they both shouted a chorus of "I missed you!"

"I would appreciate it if you would stop with all this yelling, it's kinda hurting my ears."

Megan turned to her husband and stuck her tongue out at him, to which he only gave a tiny smirk, "Sure thing Conner."

He narrowed his eyes as his childhood friend began to chuckle but said no more. Artemis smiled at her friend and went into her best friends arms.

"Whoa! Feeling kinda emotional today huh?"

Artemis glared at him half-heartedly, "Shut up and hug me!"

He did so laughing all the while, but sobered up when she gave him a sisterly peck on the cheek, "Thank you so much for your help Dick. I couldn't have done this without you"

He smiled and ruffled her head, "Anything for you"

She let him go and once again found herself in the arms of the one man she knew would always be her heart.

_'At Last'_


End file.
